Pioneer Days Celebration 09

I finally had the opportunity to make it out to the Manassa for The Pioneer Days Celebration. I have always been in school during the celebration. It was a great experience getting to know Jessica’s extended family. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Manassa, it is a tiny town in Colorado a mile wide and a mile long. This small town has some far reaching roots and some amazing traditions. They have the record for the most hamburgers sold during the celebration. 

At the park watching some concerts after the parade.  I work with Chris Blinzinger at the ER and he used to live in Manassa. I told him I would make sure to go see his name on the Jack Dempsey statue.   This is Jessica’s cousin, Tori. I’d never been to a Moto-X, but she did awesome. Later some pro guys did some sweet tricks. Jessica’s Grandparent’s house where we stayed for the trip. I’m excited that we were able to go and even more excited that Andrew, my younger brother, will soon be a part of the Durfee/ Sowards clan. He’ll be the new guy next year if he is able to make it.

Flash Back: Missionary Memories

 Okay, this doesn’t look like “Quiet Dignity”, the motto of the MTC… but to my defense I didn’t even want to wrestle. My companion and I were walking by and this room when we saw this elder (the one on top of me) was wrestling another, so we watched. I think I had laughed or something and the Elder said something like, “Do you think you can do better?”

I replied, “No, I don’t want anybody to get hurt.” But he thought I was meaning I would hurt him. I was actually worried about myself! Well, he grabbed me and I did my best to stay alive! But I’ll have you notice that one arm is holding up like 350lbs, until a second later when my head went crashing into the ground. It was pretty bad because the MTC dorms have a nice thin layer of carpet laid over concrete. 

As you can see I had rug burns to pay for as penitence and worst of all it was winter and we were required to wear our suit jackets, but I couldn’t put mine on because I didn’t want to get my jacket dirty. I was the only elder in a sea of dark colored suits, a beacon of light because of my white shirt. When I got bandaged up I could wear my jacket but then it would sting having something pressing against it. All in all it was a stupid thing to do. But the Elder later told me out of all the people he wrestled I had given him the hardest time. Nice!

Flash Back: Missionary Memories

“I find myself tired once again physically but more emotionally drained than ever before. Something has been taken from me, something that has opened my eyes to many things, but mostly the numerous amount of blessings in my (life). I can’t believe all the crap in the world! Which brings me to the question, why am I so blessed? What did I do to be so blessed?” -Jan. 31st, 2004

Sometimes in life we are shown the grander scheme of things. I recall this time on my mission, after the beautiful/ cold time of year (Christmas) when we focus more so on others. As a missionary you are constantly striving to focus on others. I wrote this passage in my journal after my “greeny” and I tracked all day long, just before we felt we should make our way home we were allowed in to a humble apartment by a gentleman at the brink of disaster. We attempted to teach him about the restoration of the gospel but realized that wasn’t what he needed at the moment. I simply allowed the man to talk… and talk he did. It seemed more of a confession the way his life story poured out. Amongst the man’s sobbing and our consolation the new missionary struggled to keep up with the thick dialect that wasn’t taught in the Missionary Training Center (we were taught ‘hoch deutsch’ not ‘wienerisch’). After learning of the man’s horrible upbringing with an abusive father and many problems that have seemed to compound themselves over time. He explained that he was just about to have to go back to jail because of mistakes of his own and decided that life wasn’t worth living anymore. He prepared his vice of choice (heroin and cocaine) and before he could go through with it we showed up at the door.

A long discussion ensued with a challenge given and an appointment to meet again. I recall being worried that he wouldn’t make it to our next appointment and it dawned on me that I wore a ring my parents had sent me for Christmas. The ring is your typical ‘CTR’ ring with German lettering ‘WDR’ (Whaele Das Recht = Choose The Right). I offered him my ring and told him what it stood for. I also told him I wanted it back. I thought that if he had to return the ring he would focus on that one thing and make it through the next day or two without thoughts of suicide. This guy was a big guy, not necessarily fat, just large in stature. It was a perfect reminder because it was too small for all of his fingers but too big for his pinkie, so in order for him to wear it without it falling off he had to clench his hand in a fist. A constant reminder having your hand clenched at all times. 

As my companion and I walked home I looked up at the sky and tried to conceal my tears. To this day I’m not sure how much my companion understood. I had taken a beating from each of the  man’s words which depicted his nightmarish childhood, stories of a despicable father beating his mother, bringing home other women and throwing the nicely prepared meals in his mother’s face. It was a grotesque display of humanity that left the son tired and scarred. I burst into to tears as I thought about the many blessings that have been given me.  A loving family, good friends and many opportunities to succeed is only the beginning of my fortune. I will never forget this lesson of gratitude.

That night I was required to call my mission president to ask permission to continue meeting with this man because of the man’s addictions and other various problems. To my dismay my mission president denied the request and felt it was too dangerous for us to return.  I was upset but realized that he had to ensure the safety of over 170 missionaries, all of which are someone else’s children. It was disappointing because the purpose of a mission is to serve others and bring them closer to Christ and that is a difficult thing to do in my mission. I continued my mission and tried not to think about the man anymore. It was close to a month later when I was to being transferred to a new area that the man found some other missionaries. He chased them down in the subway and told them that Elder Holbrook needs his ring back and to tell him thanks. I never got my ring back but I’m glad that he knows he can go to any of the missionaries for help. I only hope he is doing better and dealing with his past more constructively.  

(In the apartment in Vienna after making calls and a long day)

Cruisin’

Jess and I took the opportunity to go enjoy some alone time.... well because we can! We don't have any ‘Y’ittle ones yet and I have this whole year before I even have the prospect of going to PA school. So we found the least expensive vacation we could find, i.e. "cruisin". We have never been on a cruise and decided it would be a good way to relax and not have to worry about how to go here, there and everywhere; the boat would simply take us, plus take care of our need for nourishment.

   Here is Jessica and our cruise ship, the Carnival Paradise.

 

Jess and I saw a couple of kids feeding the seagulls some ice cream. I guess it didn’t sit very well with them

A picture of Catalina Island…. Avalon city is just to the left of this picture.

 

Jessica enjoying the beautiful weather in Avalon.  

A compiling of numerous photos taken from where the divers come out of the ocean and enjoy the beautiful skyline.

Jessica would drink a cup of hot chocolate almost every meal I guess it didn’t warm her up enough this time.

Ensenada, Mexico

 

La Bufadora (the blow hole) and supposedly the largest in the world which is found just south of Ensenada.

 

Here is our dinner group.

Last day of the Cruise… enjoying the sunset.

…really enjoying the sunset!

And they lived happily ever after.

We both decided cruises aren't the best... vacations. Actually Jessy is the one that stated over and over again how wonderful our Belize trip was! Once again 'thank you Dad' for a fabulous trip that will be forever in our memory. This cruise was for us to be alone and from our own means as a much needed break. I enjoyed the vacation! Just lounging around was amazing! Jessica enjoyed watching all the piglets stuff their faces from the greasy cruise food. It was crazy how much food the others on the cruise could eat. I also think it would be more fun to go somewhere with more to see (Bahamas) instead of feeling molested by the locals in Ensenada's Gangland. We also agreed that cruisin' could be much more fun with friends and family to enjoy the plentiful activities that didn't quite peek Jessica's and my interest. Anyway, sorry for the drought of posts. We should do some much needed backposting.

Take the Picture!

Have you ever taken a picture of someone but you were actually taking a video? It's hilarious! Watch how long it takes Jess to realize I'm not taking a picture!

CELINE DION: Best/ Worst Night Ever!

Jessica finally had the opportunity the attend the Celine Dion conert I had purchased over a year ago. I am happy to announce that I am no longer a member of the Celine Dion Fan Club. It was a year membership I had to endure to be able to buy the tickets. And to show you how close we were...

Don't worry about that guy standing next to Celine... he was freaking out, waving his arms everywhere. He was lovin' it! I will be honest I was impressed by the concert but it no way did I go to concert of my own free will. I felt a little like Matthew McConaughey (yep, that's how you spell his name I looked it up) in "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" (another thing I watched because of how much I love Jess). 

And in the words of any of the Durfee girls, "John done good!"

Before we made it to the "amazing" concert we had an eventful trip to SLC. The Jeep's battery had been acting up a bit so I went in bought a new one. The only problem was that it wasn't only the battery that had gone bad it was the alternator, so the "check gauges" light was on the whole ride up. Then I noticed the when we were almost to Cara's apartment that the car wasn't responding normally and the lights were dimming. I didn't want to get stuck in the middle of downtown so I pulled over and turned off the car. We called Cara to come pick us up. And the plan was to jump us and make it to her apartment to charge the battery. I still had my Dad's ancient battery charger in the Jeep, we just needed an outlet. When Cara picked us up we bought some jumper cables and an extension cord. We somehow got the Jeep to Cara's apartment and then rushed off to the concert a couple of minutes late, with the stress everpresent of not kowing how we would make it home tonight. 

The opening act was some impersonator that Jessica didn't appreciate much. I thought it was going to be the highlight of the concert, then Celine Dion sung the song with Andrea Bocelli. No, Andrea Bocelli wasn't present but a recording. It was still awesome! Here is a snippet of the duet.

Jessica recorded almost every song via our little camera and seemed to enjoy each and every moment. Here are a few pics of the concert. 

 

Well the concert was good but that's not the end.... we still need to get HOME! Cara picks us up and we check out the Jeep. Our plan is to use the fog lights instead of the head lights and no other electronics that could suck more juice from the battery.

We are about 10 miles from home when the fog lights becoming dimmer and dimmer. Then we saw the clock on the radio go out... this happened last time and the car became unresponsive. A road sign signals the Lehi exit is a mile away. We were freaking out because the lights had now completely gone out! Jessica used her cell phone to light the way or so she thought. It actually made it more difficult to see outside. The exit ramp almost snuck right by us, but we were able to roll our way to a gas station to plug in and start all over again. 

We sat there for a minute and decided to call my dad to see what he thought of our plan and after a short discussion he decided to come pick us up. He ended up jumping the Jeep and we followed him home without lights and the car died perfectly at the auto shop. We had to push it into a parking spot. 

If you were to ask Jessica if it was worth the money and the ridiculous fiasco to make it to her beloved Celine Dion, she would undoubtedly answer "YES!" with tears of joy! Here is a picture of her enjoying every fleeting moment. I would agree it was quite the experience. 

Two years !!

So this past weekend John and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary! We stayed in SLC and went to "The Roof" . It was alot of fun to just relax and be together. I am so grateful that I married John . Our wedding day was def. the best day of my life! I am excited to see what year three has to bring us (we are hoping for a baby)! This year should be exciting John is getting ready to apply to PA schools, so who knows where we will be headed next year!

This blog is to my sister Cara..This is super random.....I was looking through pictures and I noticed I am wearing my favorite earings that you LOST!!  Also it makes me want to cut my hair!

Lonely..

I am missing my husband terribly tonight!!! I saw him for church and off to work he went. Lastnight he worked till 5 this morning and then tonight he works till 5 tomorrow morning and then tomorrow he works  4 in the morning on Tuesday( all his shifts are 12 hours)Wow I am going to very lonely( I want to cry). I miss you lover! 

P.S. I will have alot of pics coming soon. Especially since I will have so much time on my hands!